Bus Driver Arrested For Soliciting Prostitute While Driving Bus

A Florida bus driveris accused of trying to pick up a prostitute while on duty, WFLA reports. Rodrigue Macharie, 43, was arrested in Sarasota County on Thursday when he solicited an undercover police officer working a prostitution sting around 9:45 a.m. on Tamiami Trail, according to WWSB. The bus driver, who works for the Sarasota County Area Transit shuttling disabled passengers to appointments, had 45 minutes to spare before his next pick-up. “There was a period of disbelief when the bus pulled up and that it looked as if this was actually going to be a transaction,” said Sgt. Demetri Konstantopouls of the Sarasota Police Department. Police said that Macharie paid the undercover officer $20 for an undisclosed s*xual act, MyFoxTampa reports. He was arrested and charged with soliciting a prostitute. Authorities clarified the location of the alleged s*xual solicitation. “He did not want to have the intercourse inside the bus,” Konstantopoulos said. Macharie was placed on administrative leave pending further investigation.